Rū Ana Te Whenua: Alien Weaponry Shake Europe

Monday, 11 February 2019, 9:11 am
Press Release: Radio New Zealand

Three Northland teenagers take their Māori thrash metal to the world

A 10-part web series that follows Alien Weaponry’s 2018 European tour

Monday, February 18

rnz.co.nz/alienweaponry

When Alien Weaponry found out they’d be playing the world’s biggest metal music festival, the three teenagers ‘lost their shit’.

Flash forward nine months and brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong with friend Ethan Trembath are onstage at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival, with thousands of metal fans shouting back their Māori lyrics and screaming for more.

The band travelled with their parents Niel and Jette de Jong. Niel looked after front of house sound throughout the tour and Jette was tour manager, taking care of “everything else that no-one wanted to do”, including running the merch desk at all the band’s gigs.

The documentary was shot by DOP and director Kent Belcher who was embedded with the band for 6 weeks from June to August 2018.

Kent went everywhere with the band, sleeping in the tour van, sharing campsite meals, and joining in with regular ‘Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi’ sing-alongs. He “basically became part of the Alien Weaponry whanau”.

RNZ Music is really excited about the release of this feel-good, Kiwi success story and can’t wait to share it with the world.

© Scoop Media

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